An enchanting urban fantasy middle-grade debut―the first book in a trilogy―set in a magical hotel full of secrets.
Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to car for, and even Winterhouse itself?
Mystery, adventure, and beautiful writing combine in this exciting debut richly set in a hotel full of secrets.--from the publisher
384 pages 978-1250123886 Ages 9-12
******** Poor Elizabeth Somers. Her parents died when she was four, and she has been raised by her uncaring Aunt Purdy and Uncle Burlap. When they decide to take a vacation over Christmas, she is packed off to Winterhouse with $3 and a grocery bag of clothing. There's little explanation, but she is glad to have a few books with her, and the hotel is not as bad as she has feared. Aside from the creepy booksellers, the Hiems, who warn her that the proprietor, Norbridge Falls, is not what he seems, and is not to be trusted. Norbridge seems quite nice, and looks out for Elizabeth, and also shows her the tremendous library at Winterhouse. Elizabeth also meets Freddy, whose parents send him to the hotel while they travel, and the two discover that they both like anagrams, word ladders, and other puzzles.
Strengths: This definitely had a Lemony Snicket sort of vibe, and the parallels between this and Greenglass House are definitely very strong. Also had shades of Seible's Trouble with Twins. Well paced, with plenty of twists and intriguing characters, this certainly has a lot of fine qualities to recommend it.
Weaknesses: Read this during extreme attack of Middle Age ennui, and was immediately annoyed by "Uncle Burlap". Really? Burlap? And dead parents. I loved Winterhouse itself, and the idea of the library, and just about the time I was settling into those lovely thoughts, Elizabeth and Freddy started with decoding messages, of which I am not a fan. That, and Elizabeth's favorite book is Anne of Green Gables, she claims to have read Swallows and Amazons, and she ends the book reading The Wind in the Willows. I'm done with Anne, even I hadn't read Swallows and Amazons until it appeared on a list of 100 Best Middle Grade Books, and in 15 years, I haven't been able to get a single student to read The Wind in the Willows. So, a bit "bah, humbug" here.
What I really think: I'm not sure if my students will be willing to invest in a trilogy of these, but I may have to buy this first book because I love the cover so much. This year, I am looking into buying Junie B. Jones books for my very reluctant sixth graders. I would love to have students who would enjoy this book, but right now, I'm struggling to get them to read more than 50 pages. At least this has some pictures, which they all seem to require!
Recommended by: Karen Yingling, Library Specialist, Ohio USA
See more of her recommendations: msyinglingreads.blogspot.com
